For the second year in a row at the annual Labor Day parade here, there was an abundance of marching bands and a conspicuous lack of statewide political candidates.
The elite of Virginia politics long have visited this community on the holiday. But not last year. And not this year.
The locals still turned out on an overcast day Monday along the parade route on Magnolia Street. But there was no sighting of Gov. Bob McDonnell or U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb.
And while neither of the most prominent candidates seeking to succeed the retiring Webb — Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican George Allen — were present, GOP hopefuls Jamie Radtke and Tim Donner were there.
Also participating were 6th District Rep. Bob Goodlatte, fresh off this weekend’s national Republican radio address about a balanced budget constitutional amendment, and an intraparty challenger to the longtime congressman, Karen Kwiatkowski of Shenandoah County.
Goodlatte, who represents the Valley, is optimistic about votes this fall on the balanced budget amendment in the House and Senate, though he said more Democratic support is needed for the measure to pass.
The lawmaker said he is convinced there is much waste in government, including in the area of national defense.
Budget-crunchers need to seek efficiencies without taking the heart out of federal programs, he said.
Goodlatte also said reforms are necessary in federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Radtke, former chairwoman of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation, trotted out her campaign bus for Monday’s Labor Day parade.
While still registering in the single digits in polls to Allen’s nearly 70 percent, she is embarking on a trek across the Old Dominion. Later this week, she will visit Winchester, Northern Virginia and the Northern Neck.
Radtke said she is trying to “save America” with her campaign. She said the government must reform the tax code and cut spending.
Donner, owner of a Northern Virginia media production company, told listeners gathered for post-parade speeches at Glen Maury Park that the current economic slump can’t be cured with deficits.
“We can’t spend our way out of this,” he said. “We can grow our way out of this. As a small businessman, I know how to balance a budget.”
State Sen. Creigh Deeds, a Democrat from Bath County, and Del. Ben Cline, a Republican who represents part of Augusta County, also took part Monday.
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